Hooked
by Banbi-V
Summary: A tale of Killian Jones and Ariel, the little mermaid, how they met and how the two fairy tale characters are forever changed by chance and love.


"Ariel, you're under a lot of pressure down here," Sebastian comforted her. "Come with me, I'll take you home and get you something warm to-"

_BOOM!_

A loud thundering crash shook the grotto, sending objects flying off the shelves, some gently floating down while heavier ones broke. Something on the surface blocked the moonlight, putting everyone in darkness.

"What is that!?" Ariel gasped, launching for the surface and easily squeezing through the small opening in wonder. When she broke through the choppy waters, she was met with an incredible sight.

Two huge ships were parallel with each other and one was covered in fire, the sound of wood crackling filling the air. Ariel could feel the heat of the flames, her face drying instantly as she backed up against a protruding rock, eyes wide in horror at the sight.

"Oh my gosh…" she whispered as a bright flash and a deafening boom exploded from the ship on the left. A small black ball zipped through the air so fast, Ariel blinked and the burning ship erupted in a smoke cloud as it began to sink.

Cheers and roar of victory filled the air from the winning ship when the burnt ship turned and slammed into the side of it, setting the sails on fire and knocking several bodies into the water.

"Prince-" "-Hook!"

Ariel jumped and swam several feet under towards the drowning humans. Frantically searching, she caught sight of one with black hair and pale white skin. He was wearing strange black clothes that felt like sea cucumbers, soft and rubbery, when she caught a handful and pulled him up. Something shiny flashed by his arm, maybe his sword, as Ariel dragged him to the surface. Scraps of burnt wood, barrels and other debris scattered the waters, washing up on the shore while Ariel kept the unconscious human's head on her shoulder. The dark hair on his chin was itching her skin, but she didn't really mind as she took him to the sandy beach.

She rolled him through the surf and up the beach, lying him on his back so she could get a better look. Out of all the humans Ariel had seen, he was certainly one of the better looking ones, despite his strange fashion. Black seemed to be his preference of color as Ariel studied his outfit: a white shirt under a black jacket, black pants tucked into boots with large buckles.

He had short black hair, wet and stuck his face, pale pink lips, and thick dark eyelashes over closed lids. He was still breathing, his chest moving slightly under his soaked clothing. She trailed a finger down his sleeve to his hands-

Ariel flopped back, her scream piercing the air. There was a silver hook sticking out of his hand! But there wasn't any blood…_how odd_, she thought, carefully lifting the sharp metal. She pulled back the cloth and saw his arm was attached to it.

"What happened to you?" she asked aloud, as if he would respond to her.

"Ariel, have you gone mad!?" Sebastian was washed up beside her by a wave. "Get away from him before he guts you with that…thing!"

She let his hand fall and scooted back. "He's not awake, he won't hurt me. Look at him, Sebastian. I've never been this close to a human before."

"You should never be. It's your father's rule. Let's get out of here before he wakes up," the small crab started to crawl away. "Ariel, now!"

She pursed her lips at him. "Come on, you're a bigger guppy than Flounder. Think of everything we could learn from him, we could-"

"Well now this is a pleasant sight to wake to," a warm yet dazed voice spoke behind her. Ariel gasped, turning to see the human propped on his elbows, ocean blue eyes half open and a flirtatious smile on his lips, revealing white teeth.

In one fluid spring, she flipped through the air and into the water, vanishing into the dark without another sound.

"Hey! Wait a minute," the human stumbled forward onto his chest, wincing at the pain it caused. He definitely felt a few bruised ribs. "At least tell me your name, fish."

A few feet under the sparkling water, Ariel stared up at him, knowing he couldn't see her. As she went to move, Sebastian clipped her fin.

"Don't even think about it, girl," he warmed her.

"Sebastian, pleeeeeeaaaase?" she begged. "I saved his life-"

"Which is forbidden!" he pointed, tugging on her tail. "I'm going to give you to the count of three before I clip your fin."

She took a deep breath and sighed, slouching a bit. "Fine," she groaned. "You win…let's go."

The moment he turned his shell on her, Ariel sprang to the surface, finding her human yanking his boots off and emptying the water out of them.

"Hi!" she beamed, climbing up on a rock to get a better look at him.

"Well there you are, fishy. Thought you'd leave without saying good bye," he flashed her a devilish grin, making her giggle.

She shrugged and leaned closer. "What's your name?"

He cocked an eyebrow and raised his hook hand. "Does this not make it obvious?"

"Hook?" she guessed. "Wait…I heard someone call you that. Prince Hook, right!?" she squealed, sitting up straight.

He roared with laughter, dropping his boot into the tide. "You can't be serious! Trust me, darling, I'm far from prince material."

Ariel grabbed his boots before it was swept away. "Why not? Isn't that your name?"

The man smiled. "Well…technically, I could be a king of the seas. Not like Triton, but close. I do have a ship which should be here right about now."

"You own the ship with the explosions?" Ariel asked, a small part of her getting frightened, but still excited at the thought. "Wait…are you a pirate?"

He nodded. "A pirate king, if you would so like to call me. Captain Hook is the name to you."

"Mine's Ariel," she smiled as Hook's jaw dropped.

"Oh bloody hell, you're Triton's daughter!?"

She nodded, nuzzling her lip. "Uh-huh."

"Ariel!" Sebastian whispered angrily at her from behind the rock. "Your father is coming!"

She faced Hook with an anxious look. "Shoot, daddy's coming and he doesn't like humans. I gotta go."

Hook shrugged and extended his arm. "Can I have my boot back before you leave?"

She tossed it to him. "Bye, Hook!" With a splash, she was gone, leaving Hook to continue staring at the rock. She was certainly the most beautiful mermaid he'd ever seen. He smiled to himself as he tugged on his boot and set off in search of his crew. No doubt they were probably at the pub in the real prince's kingdom getting piss drunk without him.


End file.
